


Tension Released

by Kameka (Joanna_Kay)



Category: Witchblade (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Repost of old work (see notes)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 12:13:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29118048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joanna_Kay/pseuds/Kameka
Summary: A short Gabriel scene set in the episode "Nailed."





	1. Tension Released

**Author's Note:**

> This is a re-post of an old story posted on ff.net under my old pen name. It was originally posted as a one-shot in 2002 and then I added a second chapter. As of now it is complete, but who knows? Reading my old works may inspire me to continue them!

Sara groaned as she got off her Buell and headed towards her loft apartment. They'd been putting in killer hours and Sara had doubled her workouts in an effort to minimize her increasing feelings of loneliness. Earlier that day, in an effort to get Danny to loosen up on their current case, she had challenged him to working out his frustrations in the ring.

It was a mistake she wasn't going to make again. She relied on Danny to back her up and he was poetry in motion when doing his martial arts, but she had forgotten just how tough he was. She grimaced as she entered the dark room and stumbled over to the couch, sighing as she stretched out. She was probably bruised and when she was panting to catch her breath, he had barely been breaking a sweat. Maybe she should get him to teach her some of his techniques?

The door opened and Sara sat up, reaching for her gun automatically.

"Hey, Chief, it's only me." Gabriel flicked on a switch to let Sara see he was who he said.

Sara sank back down onto the cushions with a groan. "You didn't knock."

Gabriel came closer and shrugged. "You didn't lock the door."

Sara opened one eye and looked at the young Italian. "You always try the knob before you try knocking?"

"Not always," Gabriel answered as he watched Sara struggle to sit up and remove her leather jacket to toss it on the floor. "You okay? You're looking rough."

Sara laid back on the cushions and closed her eyes again. "Just worked out too much."

Gabriel nodded and reached down, touching her arm, grimacing himself as he felt the knot of overworked muscle. "Hey, Pez?"

"Yeah, Gabriel?"

"Can I make you an offer that you promise you won't take the wrong way?" He fought to keep a blush from rising on his cheeks as her eyes opened and locked onto his face.

"Depends on the offer."

Gabriel shrugged. "Just thought you may be interested in a massage. I've been told I'm pretty good at them."

Sara's eyes widened and she answered "definitely!" with no hesitation.

When she didn't move, Gabriel chuckled. "Can't give you one with you laying on your back, Chief." Ignoring her protests, he helped her stand. When she moved into the kitchen to get a glass of water, he went into the bathroom to check out the medicine cabinet. Coming out of it, he grabbed his coat. "Chief, why don't you take a shower while I go get some provisions?"

She drained the glass and raised a brow. "Provisions?"

Gabriel nodded in answer before elaborating, "lotion or oil of some type. It'll help."

Sara nodded and reached over to snag her keys to toss to him. "Lock the door on your way out and let yourself back in, okay?"

Gabriel caught the keys in mid-air and nodded. "Just change into whatever you sleep in," he tossed over his shoulder as he went on his way to one of the 24-hour drugstores near the loft.

Sara put the glass in the drainer and went into the bathroom, turning on the hot water until the steam was rising before stripping and getting under it. The hot water worked magic on her muscles and she felt them loosen under the pounding currents. She quickly soaped up and rinsed off, not knowing how long Gabriel would be and wanted to be dry before he came back. Taking precious time, she shampooed her hair, wanting to do the job properly, something she hadn't been able to do at the PD.

Drying off, she changed into her normal sleeping gear. She knew that jeans weren't conducive to massages, but she couldn't help the vulnerability she felt being around anyone while dressed like this. Clad in a pair of mens briefs and a spaghetti strap T shirt, she returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth, suspecting that she wasn't going to want food of any sort later.

She had just left the still humid room for the second time when Gabriel returned, a paper bag under one arm.

An unstoppable grin graced his face as he took in her clothes, or lack of them.

Sara crossed her arms across her chest self-consciously. "You said what I slept in."

Gabriel nodded and turned his back to her, still grinning. "I know." He cleared his throat as much in an effort to wipe the amusement from his voice as he was bracing himself for her next reaction. "Why don't you get on the bed?"

Sara tensed before relaxing again. This was Gabriel, for God's sake. He was just telling her the best place for the massage, a place she had figured on anyway. Without a word, she drew the sheets down and stretched out face down on the mattress.

Gabriel uncapped the bottle of scented oil and moved over to the bed, resting on his knees beside her. Pouring a liberal amount into one hand, he coated both palms, rubbing them together until the oil coated both his palms and was warmed, releasing the mint scent. Reaching out, he started at the ankles and worked his way upward, prodding the tight muscles until they relaxed.

Sara moaned when he began to work on her calf muscles and then let out a sharp exhalation when he worked her thigh muscles.

"Easy," he murmured almost under his breath.

Sara calmed down, the pleasure of the massage acting as a drug in her system, completely relaxing her.

"Roll over," he told her, smiling when Sara blindly followed the command. Starting at the thighs this time, he continued the massage as he talked in a soothing voice to her. "An old girlfriend of mine taught me how to massage; she was studying to be a professional."

Sara's response was a series of involuntary moans at the power of his talented fingers.

"Go back to your stomach and pull off your T shirt."

Sara opened one eye to look at Gabriel.

"I'm not gonna try anything. I can't do your back unless your top is off."

Sara contemplated him for a moment before assenting to his request, turning over before wiggling out of the shirt. She tensed slightly when she felt the unexpected touch of liquid pooling in the small of her back and consciously relaxed her muscles before tensing again at the feeling of a warm body settling itself into position astride her butt.

"It's just for leverage, Sara, don't worry," Gabriel chuckled as he leaned forward and began a strong massage that almost lifted her off the mattress. She groaned at the pleasurable pain. Gabriel had to bite back a groan of his own as the medium-firm mattress dipped under his knees pressing his groin closer to her. The delicious pressure increased each time he leaned forward and Gabriel unconsciously began to bite his lip.

He worked each muscle, forcing them into relaxation as he massaged out every bit of strength with the soreness. He proved his claim at being talented at giving massages as he prodded and probed until he found every sore spot before working until every last bit of tension was gone.

Sara could do nothing but lie there, drifting in and out of a doze as she wished his unexpectedly powerful hands could stay on the job forever.

Gabriel looked down at the female detective ruefully as he finished up the massage, his probing getting lighter until he was doing noting more than caressing the soft skin of her back. Her head was resting on her crossed arms, eyes closed, blissfully unaware of everything except the massage she had received. Which was good, he thought, grimacing as he moved. Her noises of relaxation had sounded extremely arousing to him, a fact which his throbbing erection proved.

Grimacing again, he moved off her, capping the bottle holding the oil as he did. Bending over, he drew a sheet over her and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Good night, Sara."

His answer was a murmured "night" in a voice husky with sleep.

Silently, he placed the keys he had borrowed on the coffee table and let himself out of the loft to go home to his own lonely apartment.

The End  
(of the original chapter!)


	2. What Happens Next

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A one-shot originally written and added because of the reader response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Original finishing notes: Okay..that's it on this story for me! Okay? LOL Hope you enjoyed it. If anyone wants to write a Gabe/Sara continuation. Feel free! You have my permission to use any dialogue or this story as a memory, long as you acknowledge me. Likewise for Ian/Sara or even Gabe/Ian. Whatever floats your boat. Unless you guys write it, though, it's only in your imaginations!

Chapter 2: What Happened After

Gabriel sighed as he threw the pen he was using on his desk. It had been a week since he had last seen Sara, a week since he had given her the massage. Better make that THE MASSAGE, capital letters all the way. His dark eyes were drawn to the small container of oil he had picked up the day after he had left her apartment. It was the same oil he had used when giving her THE MASSAGE, and he had bought it to help him remember that night.

Help him? It was indelibly branded into his brain. The shadows of light playing over her skin, the feel of said skin under his hands and her body under his, the sharp bite of mint in the air. And those sounds. They were perfect, exactly what he had dreamt she would sound like if they made love.

He groaned and moved away from the desk, away from the pottery flask he had poured the oil into, not wanting the visual reminder of the normal plastic container. He had to find a way to stop thinking about that night. Being that close to Sara. It was like a dream come true for him. He'd had a crush on her for so long. Oh, he'd continued to go out with girls, knowing that none of them would measure up to Sara Pezzini but also knowing that his crush would go no where.

That's why he was in such a quandary now. His girlfriend Jessica had tried tempting him to go out with her a few days ago. All of her overtures were met with silent indifference under she had flounced off in a snit, her feminine ego bruised when she failed to get a rise out of him. For the life of him, he couldn't concentrate on her. All of his thoughts were now occupied with Sara and his mind refused to sublimate his hopes and desires for the beautiful detective onto another woman.

Sara had seemed to respond to the touch of his hands, but that was when giving her a massage. He knew from experience that a great feeling massage was one thing, being sexually aroused another. One wasn't necessarily connected to the other, though they usually were. So had Sara been aroused, or merely expressing her appreciation?

He paced the crowded apartment/warehouse combination he lived in and his eyes were drawn to the blinking light on his answering machine. He knew that it was Sara on the machine; he had listened to and erased all of the other messages already. He's purposely not been in contact with her since that night, not wanting to embarrass himself anymore than necessary. He wasn't going to duck her forever. Just until he figured out where he stood.

Which he wouldn't know unless he went to talk to her. Bared his heart to her. He grimaced at the thought. He knew she wouldn't ridicule him or anything, but it was a risk. Chances were good that she saw him as nothing more then a little brother, ,and no matter how he prepared himself for that probability, it would still hurt.

A shadow where it shouldn't be caught his eye and he moves hesitantly towards it, backing up a quick step when it disengaged from the wall behind it and moveed towards him. Hazel eyes met his as a hood was swept back to reveal a dangerous looking man. One he knew by reputation if not by sight. "What are you doing here? I didn't let you in."

Nottingham shrugged, his lack of concern at being caught breaking and entering apparent. "Just came to have a little chat, Mr. Bowman."

Gabriel snorted. "You wanted to talk to me? why? You're Sara's stalker, not mine."

Ian nodded and reached out to finger a piece of soft fabric that was folded and placed on one of the many shelves. "I know who I am and that Sara has told her friends about me." His answer was a hesitant nod. "I also know where you were a week ago."

Gabriel swallowed the knot of apprehension. "I was working, same as I always do."

Ian raised his eyes to look at him, the hazel eyes probing until they seemed to see into Gabriel's soul. "Don't lie to me."

"I'm not. I was here for most of the day."

"And for a part of the night you were at Sara Pezzini's."

Gabriel nodded, knowing he had nothing to be ashamed of. As it was, he was half sure that no matter what answer he gave, he'd end up a bloody pulp by the time this conversation was over.

"You're quite close to Sara, aren't you?"

Gabriel nodded again and stepped back, hoping in vain it wouldn't be noticed.

Ian shifted the fabric to reveal an Asian dagger, the scabbard it was in finely detailed in gold and silver. "How close?"

Gabriel shrugged. "We're friends."

He took off one glove before removing the dagger from the scabbard and testing the blade on his finger, smiling in satisfaction when it drew a light line of blood. "Just friends?"

"You can't think it's anything more, can you?" Gabriel asked bleakly, his own insecurities plain to show.

Ian dragged the blade another way before putting it back in the scabbard and replacing it on the shelf. "Sara rarely reacts as others think she will." He idly sucked on the injured digit before replacing his glove. "Be her friend, Gabriel Bowman, but only that. If you become more, I will kill you."

Gabriel swallowed and closed his eyes, knowing that the threat wasn't idle. Sara's stalker could and would follow through. When he opened them, the man in black was gone. He shook himself and started for a well hidden chest of drawers. Earlier he hadn't been sure of what he wanted to say to Sara, but now he was.

Once dressed, he locked the apartment and left, heading for the loft and hoping that she wasn't' asleep yet.

*

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is love!

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is love!


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